So i (F26) own a 3 bed 2 bathroom flat that’s near the city centre of where i live, it’s really convenient as it’s only a 10 minute commute to where i work in the car and i can walk to the city in 15 minutes. Now, my coworker (F28) just went through a nasty breakup and because she was living in her boyfriends house, had to move out when they broke up.
We were getting lunch at work and i could tell she was upset, so i asked what was wrong and she explained what had happened and was extremely upset that she didn’t know where she was going to go as her parents live over 2 hours away, so i offered her and her (3F) child a place to stay, just until she got back in her feet and found somewhere to live.
She was extremely grateful and everything was great to start with, i didn’t make her pay rent as i own my flat (my parents bought it for me as a 20th birthday present) and i know, with the cost of living crisis that times are hard. We made an agreement that we would go 60-40 on food and utilities as there’s 2 of them, and only one of me and she was completely happy with this agreement.
Now, it’s been 7 months since she’s moved in and things have got a bit rocky. She’s been behind on bills for 3 months, and keeps saying that she’s struggling as she’s been taking less hours at work as she is finding it difficult to find childcare that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg as her ex has pretty much been MIA and it works out cheaper for her to work less and put her child in nursery 3 days a week instead of 5.
And whilst i can afford to pay for all of the bills as i have a higher position at work and more hours i don’t want to be taken advantage of, i don’t mind helping her out or spotting her some money (which i have done in the past) i feel as though she has no incentive to pay bills anytime soon either.
It gets worse, she’s now taken to wanting to get out of the house and meet up with some of her friends regularly (2/3 times a week) and expects me to watch her child. I have nothing against her child, i love her and she’s a good kid but i’m being treated as an unpaid babysitter on the weekends and some weeknights.
I put my foot down 3 weeks ago and said that if she doesn’t pay me at least half of the 3 months bills that she owes me by thursday that her and her child would have to leave my house and find somewhere else. Well, there was no payment so when i got home from work i took all their stuff, boxed it up and when she got home from picking her child up, told her to get out. However, i went into work today and my other coworker said that she’s been going around telling people i’m maliciously making her and her child homeless because we had a “petty argument” so now i’ve got the whole office on my ass.
I really don’t care about the bills she owes anymore but i don’t appreciate the fact that she’s going around trashing me. Was i unreasonable in kicking her out?